Isaiah 18:1

Lord, as we look into Your Word tonight and study this passage before us in the book of Isaiah, I pray that You would speak clearly to us. Lord, I ask that You would reveal to us a new understanding of who You are, the reality of who You are, and how You work. We just ask that You would open our minds and our hearts and speak to us by Your Spirit, for we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."

Would you open your Bibles to the book of Isaiah? If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one. We will be picking up in Isaiah chapter 18 tonight. As a reminder, all of our studies here at the church are available on our website. You can access the podcast for free at ccsco.com. If you've missed any of the studies as we've been going through the book of Isaiah, they are all available there for you.

Isaiah chapter 18, verse 1, reads: "Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the water, saying, 'Go ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto, a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled.' All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see when he lifts up an ensign on the mountains and when he blows the trumpet, hear ye."

If you look at many commentators on this passage of Scripture or listen to Bible teachings on Isaiah chapter 18, you'll find that this is considered one of the most difficult passages in the book of Isaiah. Since Isaiah is regarded as one of the more challenging books of the Bible, you might call this one of the most difficult chapters.

In all the Bible, this passage is very short, consisting of only seven verses. Adam Clark, one great commentator, said this is one of the most obscure prophecies in the whole book of Isaiah. The subject of it, the end and design of it, the people to whom it was addressed, the history to which it belongs, the person who sends the messengers, and the nation to whom the messengers are sent—all are obscure and doubtful. With that, one might wonder what in the world it means. There is a lot of difference of opinion and interpretation regarding this passage.

As I have studied it many times and meditated upon it, I think one of the leading views on this passage of Scripture flows right out of chapter 17. The last three verses of chapter 17 deal with the judgment upon the Assyrians. Read with me, if you would, Isaiah chapter 17, verse 12: "Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas, and to the rushing of the nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nation shall rush like the rushing of many waters, but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. And behold, at evening trouble, and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us and the lot of them that rob us."

Last week, as we looked at Isaiah chapter 17, we considered how those last three verses deal with the judgment upon the Assyrians. We have been studying how God is judging His own people, the northern ten tribes, and even the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the south. The tool that God has chosen to use to bring about judgment upon His own people is the nation of Assyria. We saw this very clearly back in Isaiah chapter 7 and even more clearly in Isaiah chapter 10, where God specifically said, "Assyria, you are the rod in my hand to execute judgment upon my own people."

God's people, the children of Israel, had departed; they had turned their backs away from the Lord and turned to false gods and idols. As a result, God was going to discipline and punish them. We see this repeated discipline coming upon them as God says, "My hand is outstretched still," indicating that He was ready to strike them once again. Waves of judgment were coming, and now the great wave of judgment that would come would be through the Assyrians. Over the course of many decades, this judgment would happen, but the end of it would be the annihilation of the northern ten tribes.

Almost the complete destruction of the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin occurred at the hands of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. We will see this very clearly when we get to Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, which serve as a historical interlude in the book of Isaiah. These chapters give us a peek into exactly what was happening during the time of King Hezekiah.

In Isaiah chapter 17, particularly at the end of the chapter and the beginning of chapter 18, we witness the destruction caused by the Assyrians as they move like a great multitude of peoples. In verses 12 and 13 of Isaiah chapter 17, the movement of the Assyrian army is described as being like the movement of many nations. Their armies were vast and huge, and when they came, they did so with great noise. Verse 12 states that the people make a noise like the noise of the seas, and the rushing of the nations is compared to the rushing of mighty waters.

Have you ever been next to a very large waterfall? Has anyone here visited the waterfalls at Niagara or the waterfalls of Yosemite? The rushing sound of water is unforgettable. I remember a number of years ago, during our last El Niño, around 1997 or 1998, Lake Hodges filled up to the point where the spillway overflowed. I recall going down there with my dad and standing about 100 feet away, just listening to the sound of the roaring waters. Isaiah describes the vision of the coming Assyrian army as being like that great sound of many waters.

In the face of this impending judgment by the Assyrians, all the nations are fearful. The imagery suggests that a great wave, a great flood, is coming through, causing all the nations to quake and quiver in the presence of the Assyrian army. One of those nations, as we come to chapter 18, is the nation of Cush, or the nation of Ethiopia.

When we talk about Ethiopia in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, it is not the Ethiopia we think of today. Ethiopia was not just a country in Africa during the time of Isaiah; it was a region and an empire. The Assyrians were a great empire, and probably the second largest empire of the day was the Ethiopians. The Ethiopians lived in a region that encompassed the actual nation of Ethiopia today, but it also included the southern reaches of Egypt.

The entire nation of what we call Sudan today even crossed into what we would call the area across the Gulf; that whole region would be called Ethiopia. Next to Assyria, they were probably the great empire. It reached into what we call modern-day Yemen. That was the nation I was looking for.

When we come to chapter 18, the idea is that the Ethiopians, allied with the Egyptians, are coming from Ethiopia up into the land of Judah, into the southern tribes. They are seeking to make an alliance with the people of Judah to protect one another as the Assyrians are coming. That great wave, that great multitude, is coming from the north, from the northeast, from Assyria. The Ethiopians, recognizing that they could have some problems if the Assyrians come all the way down into Africa, into Ethiopia, come to Judah and say, "Will you stand with us? Will you unite with us so we can fight against the Assyrian army?"

"Woe to the land," he says in verse 1 of chapter 18, "a land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia." The idea is woe to the land; there is this great sound of wings. Even if you go there today to the land surrounding the Nile River, you'll hear the sounds of all these winged insects. He is speaking to that area, that northeast corner of Africa—Egypt, Ethiopia—and he says woe to them.

Now, we need to recognize that the word "woe" here is a Hebrew word, "oy." You might think of "oy vey," and that's exactly along those lines. It can be translated a couple of different ways. It can be translated "woe" in the sense of destruction coming, but it is also translated in Isaiah 55:1 as "ho," which is a call to the peoples.

As we've been going through chapters 13 through 23 of Isaiah, these are judgments that are spoken upon the nations. If you look at Isaiah chapter 13, chapter 14, and chapter 17, they all begin with "the burden upon that nation." Those judgments spoken upon those nations were expressed in the sense of a heavy burden, a heavy word for them. However, this word in Isaiah chapter 18, verse 1, is different. It is as if God is saying to the Ethiopian people, "Listen up." He is calling them to attention here; he is not speaking against them.

But more speaking to them, listen up! You land of the shadowing of the wings that is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the water, saying, "Go ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from the beginning hitherto, to a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land rivers divide."

Now again, Adam Clark said we wonder who these messengers are, what nation they're sent from, and what nation they're sent to. Many Bible teachers agree that the picture here is that the Ethiopians are sending ambassadors up to Judah to seek to make a league, to make an alliance to stand against the coming wave of the Assyrian army. God calls out to the Ethiopians; He calls out to the messengers and says, "Stop! Return home. Go back. We don't need your help. We're not looking for your help."

The land of Ethiopia was seeking to establish an alliance with the people of Judah, but God says no. He does not want His people to make an unholy alliance with them. Remember back in Isaiah chapter 7, God told the king of Judah, Ahaz, "I will protect the land." God is going to protect His people against the Assyrians, and He is going to do it in a miraculous way, as we will see in Isaiah chapter 37.

We recognize and know that God does not want to share His glory with anyone. He says to the people, "These Ethiopians, who were the second largest empire of the day, don't come. We don't want your help because I don't want My people to establish an alliance with you."

It is so tempting, when faced with the enemy, for us to make alliances with other things of this world. When faced with difficult circumstances, trials, or tribulations, we look for our own escape. Even though God tells us through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 that our God will provide a way of escape, we need to be looking out for the way of escape that God will provide for us.

But so many times, we are looking to make our own way of escape. How many of you can agree with this? We are tempted many times to turn to other resources, other wells. And really, when we read about the Ethiopians...

Look at that description of them there in verse 2. They are a people terrible from their beginning hitherto. These people were well known: the Ethiopians, a tall, dark-skinned people. They were feared by many. So, if you were facing destruction by the Assyrians, you might want an ally like the Ethiopians. But God says to His people, "I don't want you to make an alliance with them." It would be, in reality, an unholy alliance.

It's very similar to the words that the psalmist speaks in Psalm 20, a verse you've probably read before. In verse 7, some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will trust or remember the name of the Lord our God. You see, God did not want His people to rely upon any army of man. The Ethiopians were sending ambassadors up to try and make an alliance, to make a league so that they would stand together. God says, "No, no, no, no. Go back, go ye messengers, go home, because I don't want you to come up this way."

In fact, we see the very same thing later on in Isaiah chapter 31. In Isaiah 31, verse 1, God actually cautions His people. He says, "I don't want you to trust in Ethiopia or in Egypt," because Ethiopia and Egypt were closely allied. Isaiah 31, verse 1 states, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses or trust in horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong. But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord."

It's so very tempting for us to trust in the armies of this world or the things of this world when faced with difficulty. God would tell His people there in Isaiah 31, and this is prior to the coming of the Assyrian army into Judah and Jerusalem, "Woe unto you if you go down to Egypt for help."

You know the amazing thing? When we get to Isaiah chapter 36, when the Assyrian army surrounds Jerusalem, the commander of the Assyrian army—remember, he was an enemy of the people of Jerusalem—tells them the very same thing. Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 36; he actually utters the words of God to the people.

The enemy of God, the enemy of the people of Jerusalem, was telling them not to trust in Egypt. In Isaiah 36:6, he says to the people, "Lo, thou trust in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt, whereon if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it." So is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who trust in him.

Skipping down to verse 9, the commander of the army of Assyria says, "How then will you turn away and face one captain of the least of my master's servants? You put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen." The commander of the Assyrian army warns the people of Jerusalem not to trust in Egypt or Ethiopia. If they lean upon them, if they trust in the armies of man, they will be disappointed. This is a crucial truth we must take note of: we must trust in our God. If we call Him our God, then we must trust in Him as God.

At this time, the people of Judah and Jerusalem were about to be attacked by the Assyrians, and they were being tempted to trust in other things. King Ahaz, back in Isaiah chapter 7, foolishly trusted in the Assyrians for help when the northern ten tribes and the Syrians came against them. This can be confusing, especially when discussing the Syrians and the Assyrians, as they are two different nations.

In Isaiah chapter 7, Ahaz, the king of Jerusalem and Judah, was about to be destroyed by the northern ten tribes of Israel and the Syrians. God told him, "If you trust Me, I will protect you and I will establish you." However, Ahaz was tempted to put his trust in the army of man. He sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, asking for help. He offered to pay him, taking money from the temple and his own treasuries to bribe the king of Assyria for assistance. Ultimately, this unholy alliance would turn around to bite him. Isn't it always that way?

Trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Ahaz made a foolish and wicked alliance with the Assyrians, and ultimately, the Assyrians sought to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. At that time, it would be a different king; it wouldn't be Ahaz on the throne, but Hezekiah. Hezekiah, just like his father, would be tempted to put his trust in the Egyptians and the Ethiopians. God warned him, "Woe to you if you go down to Egypt for help."

In Isaiah chapter 18, we see the vision of the ambassadors of Ethiopia coming in their boats to Judah, to Jerusalem, to meet with the king. They proposed establishing an alliance to help each other out because the Assyrian army was approaching. However, God instructed those messengers to go home. He did not want His people to rely upon the armies of men but to rely upon Him.

May we too recognize this in our day when we are confronted with trials. When an unexpected bill arrives in the mail or something on the car breaks and we weren't prepared for it, we are often tempted to turn to the credit card. Yet, God says to turn to Him. When we face medical difficulties or health issues, prayer is often our last resort instead of our first response.

I am certain that God has given us understanding in the areas of medicine and the amazing advancements we have today; these things have come from the hand of life. However, there are many times when God desires to show Himself mighty and powerful, yet we deny Him the opportunity by turning instead to physicians. Some trust in chariots, some in horses, some in their 401(k), some in their jobs, and some in their houses. There are so many different things that people trust in.

We must recognize that the gods of the Old Testament, yes, they were silver and gold, and yes, they were things that people bowed down to. But today, they might be silver and...

Gold or platinum cards today are anything that man can create. We must be those who trust in and put our confidence in God. In verse three, we read, "O ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see ye when He lifts up the ensign on the mountains and when He blows the trumpet." Hear ye! God is going to lift up a banner, and God is going to sound the trumpet.

There is no need for His people in Judah and Jerusalem to establish an alliance with the Ethiopians because God Himself says, "I am going to defend My people against the Assyrians. I will be the one to lift up the banner and blow the trumpet for battle." You do not need to turn to the Ethiopians for help because I will stand for you. He wanted the people there to take notice. He calls to all inhabitants of the world in verse three, urging mankind to recognize what He is going to do.

What a great sign of the strength of God! Judah, the people of that city, Jerusalem, were absolutely nothing. When we get to Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, we will see that the Assyrian army almost completely plowed over Judah. I believe it was 47 of their defense cities, 47 of their walled cities, that were destroyed when Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, brought his armies into Judah. Clearly, the people of Judah were not strong enough to stand against the Assyrians.

Yet, when the king of Assyria surrounded the city of Jerusalem, we will see in Isaiah chapter 37 that in one night, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 of the army of Assyria. What a great show of the strength of God! Judah had no possible way to stand before the Assyrians, but the Assyrians had no hope whatsoever before the power of God. God was seeking to show Himself mighty on behalf of His people. He desires to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. The people were being tempted by the enemy to make an unholy alliance and not trust in God.

The Lord said He would give this message through the prophet Isaiah to the ambassadors of Ethiopia: "Go home. I want my people to trust in Me."

So the Lord said unto me in verse four, "And the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." God will watch quietly. We read in verse four that poetic language is used, where He says it is like a clear heat upon the herbs or like a cloud of dew. The heat of the harvest increases slowly in the middle of summer. It is so quiet; you don't hear the sun up there, but it just gradually gets hotter. God says, "I'm going to turn up the heat upon the Assyrians quietly. They're not going to hear it."

Remember back in Isaiah chapter 17, verse 12, the Assyrian army sounded like the rushing of many waters, causing everybody to be fearful. Yet God says, "I'm going to turn up the heat and burn before the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower. He shall both cut off the sprigs and the pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches."

God says that before they are even ripe, before they are even ready, He will destroy them. We will see this fulfilled literally when we get to Isaiah chapter 37. In one night, God will destroy them in a powerful, mighty way.

In verse six, it states, "They shall be left together for the fowls of the mountains and for the beasts of the earth. The birds shall summer upon them, and the beasts shall winter upon them." The idea is that God will destroy them in such a way that it will be a great feast for the birds of the air, with the dead flesh lying there upon the ground.

Very similar words are used to speak about the apocalyptic end of the earth. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus says in verse 28, "For wheresoever the carcass is, there the birds will be gathered together," speaking about that last great judgment of man. Again, in Luke chapter 17, verse 37, He states, "Wheresoever the body is, there the birds will be gathered together."

Now, turn in your Bibles to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 19, verse 17. Notice what the apostle John says: "And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of the kings and the flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit upon them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.'"

Down in verse 21, we read, "And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeds from God." The same sort of words are used in the judgment that is going to come upon the Assyrians. Back in Isaiah chapter 18, God is going to destroy them quickly before they are ever able to come to full power. God says, "I will come in and cut them off and destroy them, and all the birds of the air are going to come, and all the beasts of the field will too."

The Lord of hosts speaks of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto, a nation meted out and trodden underfoot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion. When God brings this judgment upon the Assyrians, we read in verse 7 that the Ethiopians will rejoice. Previously in this chapter, we see the Ethiopians fearful because this great wave of the army of Assyria is coming, worried.

The people were concerned that this army was going to come and destroy them as well. So, they sent ambassadors to Judah, even though Judah was nothing. They sent ambassadors and said, "We want to make an alliance with you. We want to be able to stand against the Assyrians when they come."

But God saw the rejoicing of the people of Ethiopia. In verse 7, we see the Ethiopians rejoicing to the point where they would be so grateful to God, the God of their salvation against the Assyrians, that they would bring a gift, an offering, or a present to the Lord of hosts in the land of Jerusalem. They rejoiced because of the salvation that God would bring upon them.

As we continue into chapter 19, verse 1, we encounter the burden of Egypt. "Behold, the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt. The idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof."

We move from Isaiah chapter 18, which deals with the judgment upon the Assyrians and the rejoicing of the Ethiopians when the Assyrians would be judged. Now, we come into the burden upon the Egyptians. This burden in Isaiah chapter 19 is, I believe, very important for us to consider.

In Isaiah chapter 19, we have what we might call the indications of God's judgment. If you're taking notes, you'll want to jot this down: the indications of God's judgment. What does it look like when God begins to move? How can we tell that a nation is actually being judged by the Lord?

In this passage, we will see a number of things that indicate a nation is being judged as we watch the burden upon Egypt unfold. Look at it with me, if you would. In verse 1, it says that the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and He will come into Egypt. Notice, first, if you're taking notes, this is what we might call the day of the Lord.

Now, it is a minor fulfillment of the Day of the Lord. We know that the great and terrible Day of the Lord is associated with many different signs described in Scripture. That great and terrible Day of the Lord has not yet come, but this is a minor fulfillment of the Day of the Lord, where God reaches into humanity for judgment.

We considered a couple of weeks ago that the term "the Day of the Lord" is used 27 times in the entire Bible. It is always used in the context of judgment, darkness, dimness, shame, and destruction. Judgment are words that are associated with the Day of the Lord. The Lord rides upon a swift cloud, and He is going to come into Egypt. We can look at the resulting things that take place when God moves for judgment.

Number one, if you're taking notes, the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst. The first thing we see that indicates God's judgment upon a nation is a great picture of this in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is full of such pictures. In 1 Samuel chapter four, the children of Israel go out to battle against the Philistines, and they are defeated the first day. They do not do so well, so they gather together that night in the camp. The leaders of Israel start to discuss among themselves what went wrong and what the problem was.

Someone there that night had the bright idea that they had forgotten God. They sent to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was at that time, and said, "Bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord here because we need to go into battle, and we need God to be with us." They brought the Ark of the Covenant into the camp of Israel that night. When they did, they yelled so loudly and rejoiced so much that the Philistine army heard the shout, and the ground shook. The Philistines were worried and said something very interesting: "The gods of Israel have come in among them." They were moved with fear, but notice they said "the gods of Israel" had come in among them. This indicates that the children of Israel, during the time of 1 Samuel, had not been worshipping the one true God.

The Israelites faced a significant challenge because their neighbors believed they worshipped many gods, which they did. However, when difficulties arose, they cast aside Asherah, Baal, and Molech, realizing they needed to turn to God. The Philistines, upon hearing this cry, urged their men to act like warriors, stating they did not want to serve the Israelites. The following day, the Philistines went into battle, armed and ready, and once again defeated the children of Israel. They captured the Ark of God.

When you treat God as a mere good luck charm, He does not show up. The Israelites were defeated, and the Ark was taken by the Philistines, who brought it to one of their key cities, likely Ashdod. They placed it in the house of Dagon, their god, thinking they had captured the God of the Israelites. Dagon was depicted as a half-man, half-fish creature, resembling a merman. They set the Ark of the Covenant next to Dagon.

The next morning, when the priests of Dagon entered the temple, they found that Dagon had fallen over. They propped him back up, but if you have to prop your god up, it indicates you have the wrong god. The following morning, they discovered that only Dagon's stump remained—the fish part—while the rest of his body had fallen over, and his hands and head were severed. This illustrates that when God's presence moves in, the gods of this world tremble and shake.

We see God moving against Egypt, causing the idols of Egypt to tremble in His presence. The things the people of Egypt trusted in were shaken. Now, let us fast forward 2,800 years to the year 2008 here in the United States of America. In 2006, there were people writing articles in The Economist, Forbes, and Newsweek projecting that the Dow Jones would eventually reach 50,000.

It was just going to keep going and going. People were investing in real estate, expecting that house on Fig down here would be worth a million dollars in five years. You remember it was just a few years ago. Then, on October 1st, 2008, everything fell apart. The Dow Jones dropped 777 points, which is an interesting number, especially considering that it was the Feast of Trumpets. God sounded the trumpet, and He began, I believe, in some way to move for judgment against our own nation.

Did the things that American society trusted in have they been shaken? Not just in 2008 on October 1st, but think back to September 11th, 2001. Not just the United States, but the world trusted in Wall Street. They put so much of their stock in the stock market, and in just a matter of hours on September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center came down. The gods of America, the things that man trusts in, were shaken.

Not just the economy of America, but the military might of America, which had become the greatest military ever, was also shaken. Planes were flown into the Pentagon, the center of our military might, and we saw on that day that we were not as strong as we thought we were. We were shaken. The gods, the idols of America, were shaken, and look at the result.

When the things that the people of Egypt trusted in were shaken at the presence of the Lord, their hearts melted in despair. When God begins to move for judgment, one of the first indicators that He is on the move is that the things that man trusts in are shaken, and as a result, man's confidence is shaken.

Continuing on, in verse 2, God says, "I will set Egyptians against Egyptians, and they shall fight everyone against his brother and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom." This is the second indicator of judgment we see there.

In verse two, there is civil unrest. The lack of civility manifests as Egyptian fights against Egyptian, neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother, city against city. This is the first indicator of judgment. When God moves to judge a nation, the things that the people trust in are shaken, and their hearts melt.

The second indicator is civil unrest. Verse three states, "And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof. I will, a second time, destroy the counsel thereof." The people of Egypt will not only experience a melting of their hearts and civil unrest, but their spirit will unravel. They will not know where to turn for spiritual wisdom or counsel. As a result, they will seek idols, charmers, and those with familiar spirits. They will turn to the occult, horoscopes, charmers, diviners, and palm readers.

I saw the most amazing thing on the news about eight months ago. They were doing an interview with a lady in Los Angeles who is a palm reader. She was discussing how her industry and fortune-telling have skyrocketed during this economic downturn in America. One of the industries that is doing very well is the fortune-telling industry. It blew my mind when she said that it used to be that people would come in asking about their love lives and whether a particular man was the right one for them. However, lately, she has been seeing many people come in asking, "Am I going to be okay?"

Verse four states, "The Egyptians will I give over to the hand of a cruel lord and a fierce king. A fierce king shall rule over them," says the Lord of Hosts. The next indicator of judgment is tyranny. The people do not know what to do; they can't.

Finding anyone to give counsel can be challenging, and so people often turn to whoever is willing to stand in that place. When individuals are desperate for leadership, they frequently turn to despots. God says, "I will give them"—this is the third time we see God specifically bringing this about—"I will give them a cruel lord to rule over them, a fierce king."

The next indicator of God's judgment is found in verse five: "The waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. They shall turn the rivers far away, and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up. The reeds and the flags shall wither." Here, we see a drought—a drought that came upon the people. The rivers and brooks dried up, and as a result, verse seven states, "The paper reads by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and everything sown by the brooks shall wither and be driven away and be no more."

Not only is there a drought, but there is also a famine. The people of Egypt were sustained by the Nile River, so when we read that a drought would come and then a famine would follow, we witness the failure of industry taking place. Notice that we read about the reeds and the flags withering. The nation was known for its linen; even today, people still seek Egyptian linens made from fine flax grown by the rivers of Egypt. However, Egypt was also known in antiquity for being the first to create paper—papyrus. The reeds, the papyrus, are withering, indicating that their industry is failing. There is a famine and a failure of industry.

Moreover, verse eight states, "The fishers also shall mourn. They shall cast an angle into the brooks and shall lament. They shall spread their nets upon the waters and shall languish." Those who work in fine flax and weave the networks shall be confounded and broken in their purpose. All that makes sluices and ponds for fish are indicators of judgment. First, the things they trust in are moved; secondly, there is civil unrest; third, tyranny; next, drought; and then famine.

Industrial and economic collapse are all indicators of God's judgment. It is an indication that God is removing His hand of protection and blessing. As a result, the enemy is able to come in like a flood.

We need to take careful note that when those planes were flown into the World Trade Center and when they were flown into the Pentagon, it was not God who was directing those things. God had removed His hand of protection from our nation, and so the enemy was able to come in like a flood.

I believe there is great proof for this in the Book of Job, where we read that Job was hit by Satan when God removed His hand of protection. Remember, Lucifer said to God, "Job only serves You because You give him such blessing and You put a hedge of protection around him. If You take everything away from him, he'll curse You." So God said, "Alright," and He removed His hand of protection. On that first day, the enemy came in like a flood, taking away everything that Job owned, killing all of his servants, and killing his children. The Lord removed His hand of protection, but He said, "You're not allowed to touch his life or his health." God was still protecting him, and Job did not curse God.

Satan came before God again, and God said, "Have you considered My servant Job? He is a righteous and upright man; there is no one like him in all his days." Satan responded, "You take away his health, and he'll curse You." So God removed His hand of protection, and an illness came upon Job to the point where he was laying with boils all over him, scraping himself with shards of clay. The only thing that God did not take from Job was his wife. You might say, "Oh, that's so compassionate," except that his wife was telling him to curse God and die.

Job was despairing even of the day of his birth, but he would not curse God. God had removed His hand of protection, and the enemy was able to come in. Here we see God removing His hand of protection, and now the enemy is coming in. The result of God moving for judgment includes all these different things: tyranny, drought, famine, and industrial and economic collapse.

Verse 11 states, "Surely the princes of Zion are fools, and the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish." How do you say unto Pharaoh, "I am the son of the wise, the son of the ancient kings"? Where are they? Where are thy wise?

Men, let them tell thee now. Let them know what the Lord of Hosts has purposed against Israel or upon Egypt. The princes of Zion have become fools, and the princes of Noth are deceived. They have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in the midst of Egypt, and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. Neither shall there be any work for Egypt which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

As God moves for judgment upon the nation of Egypt, the next thing that we see is the loss of wise counsel. Look at our political system today. It doesn't matter if you're for the Democrats or the Republicans; it seems like there is a major loss of wise counsel. Wouldn't you agree? Did any of you watch that epic seven-and-a-half-hour long session that they had a couple of weeks ago? There is a lack of wise counsel. No one knows how to fix the problems. No one knows what to do, and if they do have an answer, no one wants to stand up because they are fearful of what the people might think. As a result, the leaders have become fools, deceived and seduced.

Notice what happens there in verse 15: there is a lack of wise counsel. Foolishness reigns in Egypt. Interestingly, unemployment is on the rise in Egypt, which is an indication of the judgment of God. You see, a lot of times when we think of the judgment of God, we envision fire and brimstone falling from heaven upon a city like Sodom and Gomorrah. We don't think about economic collapse, industrial collapse, tyranny, drought, famine, civil unrest, and unemployment. You might say, "Come on, unemployment is an indication of God's judgment?" Well, it's an indication of the removal of God's blessing.

Remember what God told His people in Deuteronomy chapter 28 about the blessings of the law. In verse 16, it states that in that day, Egypt will be like unto a woman, and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts, which He shakes over it. This reflects the loss of courage and strength.

Be a terror unto Egypt. Everyone that makes mention thereof shall be afraid in himself because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which He has determined against it. The land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt. Never in their history was Judah a terror to Egypt, yet God says even those weaker than you will become your fear.

In that day, five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of hosts. One shall be called the city of destruction. In that day, there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.

Verses 18 and 19 represent a stark change, a 180-degree turn. The nation of Egypt is judged and punished, and as a result, we see an altar unto the Lord built in the land of Egypt. What is this? God's punishment is for the purpose of purification. It shall be for a sign and a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt, for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors. Even if they are Gentile peoples, even if they are not of the land of Judah, God desires to hear His people cry out to Him, and He will always answer.

The Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day. They shall do sacrifice and oblation; yes, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it. The Lord shall smite Egypt, and He shall smite and heal it. The purpose of punishment is purification. He shall smite and heal it, and they shall return even to the Lord. He shall be entreated of them, and He shall heal them.

In that day, there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria. The Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians. In that day, Israel shall be the third with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land. Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed be Egypt, My people, and Assyria, the work of My hands, and Israel, My inheritance." What an amazing transformation!

You see, God was going to judge the children of Israel with the Assyrians. Then, God was going to judge the Egyptians by the Assyrians as well. Ultimately, God would judge the Assyrians, and the result of this judgment would be that out of Egypt, out of Assyria, and out of Israel, a people would call unto the Lord. God has a remnant.

In Isaiah chapter 7, we meet Isaiah's son, Shear-Jashub, which means "a remnant shall return." The purpose of punishment is purification. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens; He disciplines.

Continuing on to chapter 20, verse 1, we read: "In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon, king of Assyria, sent him, and fought against Ashdod and took it." At the same time, the Lord spoke by Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying, "Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins and put off thy shoe from thy foot." He did so, walking naked and barefoot.

The Lord said, "Like as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians' prisoners and the Ethiopians' captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." They shall be afraid and ashamed.

When we read in verse 1 that this happened in the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when the king of Assyria sent him, Sargon the king, we can literally establish this at 711 BC. Sargon was the king of Assyria at that time, just before Sennacherib became king, who would be the one to lay siege to Jerusalem in Isaiah chapter 36. Sargon, the king, sent one of his kings under him, one of his ambassadors, one of his generals, Tartan, and he came to Ashdod, one of the key cities.

In 711 BC, God gave Isaiah perhaps one of the strangest commands ever. He said, "Isaiah, I want you to strip down and walk naked for three years." This would likely have been one of those moments where Isaiah thought, "I really don't know if that's the Lord." However, God insisted, "No, this is what I want you to do. Loose the sackcloth from off your loins."

It is important to note what Isaiah was wearing prior to this command. God instructed him to take it off and walk naked and barefoot, which he did for three years. This act served as a sign to the people, as explained in verse three: it was a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and Ethiopia.

Egypt and Ethiopia were allied together, and in chapter 18, they had come up against the Assyrians. However, God warned Isaiah not to trust in them because they would be destroyed. He said, "Don't put your trust in the Ethiopians or the Egyptians; they will not be your help."

So, God commanded Isaiah to walk naked and barefoot as a sign of what was going to happen. Just as Isaiah was naked and barefoot, the Assyrians would come into Egypt and Ethiopia, taking captives, stripping them naked, and removing their sandals. They would lead them back to Assyria, young and old, with their buttocks uncovered. This would bring shame to Egypt, as stated at the end of verse four.

In verse five, it is noted that they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia, their expectation, and Egypt, their glory. Isaiah explained that when this happens, the people of Jerusalem and Judah would be ashamed and afraid because they had been tempted to trust in the Assyrians and the Egyptians for help.

The Egyptians, whom the people of Judah were tempted to trust in, are being taken captive. Imagine, if you will, putting all your trust and hope in the great army of the United States of America. Now, picture that army being completely consumed, with all its members taken captive and led away as prisoners of war to another nation. If you had placed your trust in them, what would you do at that point?

The people of Judah shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia, their expectation in Egypt, their glory. The inhabitants of the isle shall say in that day, "Behold, such is our expectation." Whether they flee for help to be delivered to the king of Assyria, they will wonder how they shall escape. Everyone will ask, "What are we going to do?" Assyria has even taken over Egypt and Ethiopia, the second great world power of the time. How can we stand against the Assyrians? This will be the fear in the hearts of mankind when this comes to pass. Who shall be able to stand against the Assyrians? If Egypt and Ethiopia can be taken, we are all doomed.

However, this was God's way of preparing the people to see His glory, removing their hope and expectation from the things of this world. God has an awesome way of shaking the things that we trust in. In our lives today, as followers of Jesus, as disciples of Christ, as Christians, we are shaken to see where our hope truly lies. If your hope is not in the Lord today, if your confidence and trust are not in Him, but in anything else—be it your savings account or your 401(k)—I guarantee God will take it away. God will strategically remove those things, one by one, until all you have left is the Lord. He will do this individually or nationally, as we see here for His own people, the children of Judah, who were tempted.

To trust in the Egyptians is tempting, but God says not to put your trust there; they are nothing. Some trust in horses, some trust in chariots. May we remember the name of the Lord our God. Things may very well get pretty bad here on earth, and I guarantee they are going to get much worse before the King of Kings comes. Remember, He is our hope; He is our trust.

It is believed, or it is said of the rabbis of old, that it was during this time when God was preparing His people for the protection He would bring in Isaiah chapter 37 that the people of Israel sang the psalm we know today as Psalm 46. Let me read it to you as we finish:

"God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen rage, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, and the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."

We read there, "though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." This last week, a great earthquake of 8.8 occurred in Chile. National Geographic reported that the earth was tilted three inches on its axis. I don't know how they determine that, but that's pretty amazing. As a result, the day is now 1.26 seconds shorter.

Nanoseconds shorter again. I don't know how they determine that, but it's pretty amazing. Though the earth be moved, mountains be cast into the sea. Oftentimes, mountains in the Scripture are a reference to kingdoms. God says, "Though the earth be moved and the kingdoms are shaken, cast down; though the waters thereof roar."

Remember we saw in Isaiah chapter 17 that the moving of the Assyrians was like the roaring of many waters. Though the waters are troubled, the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. We remember that God is enthroned in heaven, and when He breaks the bow, when He cuts the spear asunder, when He burns the chariot with fire, we realize that He alone is the one that we can trust in.

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen; I’ll be exalted in the earth." May the Lord of hosts be our refuge.

Let's stand and pray together. Father, we thank You for Your Word; Your Word is truth. As we see Your Word even fulfilled in our midst, we consider the indicators of judgment upon the Egyptians. Lord, there was a move that You made, and the idols of Egypt were moved. The heart of the people melted, civil unrest and tyranny, drought and famine, industrial and economic collapse, the removal of wise counsel, foolishness, loss of courage and strength—all these things are indicators that You have removed Your hand of blessing and protection from a nation, and the enemy is able to move in like a flood.

When we consider this, we recognize that our own nation is in that very place. May we, Your people, declare with a loud, clear voice that You are our refuge and our strength—not the stock market, not the army, not the Marine Corps, not the presidency, not any other thing. You are our refuge and our strength.

Give us boldness to declare this to everyone we come in contact with, because we're quickly approaching Isaiah 24, the judgment declared upon the whole earth. Lord, give us boldness to speak, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.